Electronic devices require a power source to power circuitry such as discrete circuits, processors, communication interfaces, user interfaces, some memory, and various other components. Power may often be supplied from a variety of sources, such as directly from an AC mains power source or from a DC power source such as a battery or AC-to-DC convertor. Often, a variety of electronic devices may be located in close proximity to each other, may communicate with each other, and may perform related functionality. For example, a television set may be located in proximity and be connected to a number of devices such cable boxes, speakers, game consoles, streaming media players, and DVD players. Many of these devices may require their own power source, and connections between devices may be accomplished by numerous cables. The resulting overall setup may be complicated, energy inefficient, and visually unappealing.
Businesses have cash registers and similar systems to handle payment transactions with customers. Such systems often have numerous components, such as screens for entering orders, cash drawers, receipt printers, credit card machines, keyboards, and various other items. Each of these components may require a power source, and communications between components may be performed over a number of wired connections. The resulting system may thus take up a large amount of space and may be complicated to set up, move, use, and troubleshoot.